RH 1975: An Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) variety suitable for timely-sown conditions

Abstract:

CCS HAU, Hisar, has developed the Indian mustard (Brassica juncea )(L.) Czern and Coss.) variety “RH 1975” specifically for timely sown and irrigated conditions. This variety was identified for release in the 30​th  Annual Group Meeting of the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Rapeseed-Mustard, held at SKUAST-Jammu on 3–4 August, 2023. It is now gazette notified for cultivation across Zone-II, which covers Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Jammu, and northern Rajasthan. Across 23 environments, RH 1975 recorded an average seed yield of 2,720 kg/ha. This demonstrated seed-yield increase over the latest-release check Giriraj by 13.6%, the zonal check RH 749 by 11.8%, and the national check Kranti by 19.7%. The variety featured among the top five performing entries in 73.91% (17/23) of the 23 pooled environments, a consistency rate that easily exceeded Giriraj (26.08% [6/23]), RH 749 (30.43% [7/23]), and Kranti (13.04% [3/23]). Separate agronomy trials across five diverse locations confirmed a mean seed yield of 2,480 kg/ha, outperforming the best commercial check, Giriraj (2,220 kg/ha), by 11.7%. Alongside high yields, RH 1975 showed less susceptibility against major foliar diseases like Alternaria blight, white rust, and Sclerotinia stem rot and aphid damage compared to standard susceptible checks in trials.